The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing, or Beijing Xuanwumen Catholic Church (also called Nan Tang), is the oldest existing Catholic Church in Beijing.

The building is now hidden behind modern skyscrapers that dominate Beijing’s skylines.

The entrance looks rundown and in need of repair (or at least of dusting). The two signs on the right side of the door states the status of the cathedral: the Seat of the Beijing Diocese and the Catholic Patriotic Associatioin of Beijing.

The chapel was first built and established by the Italian priest Matteo Ricci in 1605, who dressed in Chinese robes and converted government officials speaking the local language.In 1650, expansion work began under the leadership of the German Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

In 1690, Beijing received its first Roman Catholic bishop, the Franciscan Bernardin della Chiesa. From then now, it became a cathedral and served as the seat of Beijing’s Catholic community.

A statue of Matteo Ricci adorns the entrance into the cathedral.

The introduction plate of the cathedral and Matteo Ricci.

The cathedral was twice destroyed in 1720 and and 1730, but was repaired. It was damaged again by fire in 1775, and was restored by the Emperor Qianlong. In 1838, Emperor Daoguang decreed a restriction of activity of the Catholic churches in China due to conflicts of the church and the people. After reopening in 1860, the cathedral was burned to the ground by the Boxer Rebellion.

In 1904, the present-day structure was rebuilt on its original site. All activity was paused during the Cultural Revolution, and in 1979, Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan was consecrated in the cathedral, marking the beginning of new life in China.

The cathedral is small by European standard, but is in the baroque style of the time.

The public display window is filled with basic Catholic beliefs explained in simple language and colorful photos.

Pictures from Singles Night held by the Cathedral are also displayed.

In front of the cathedral, a statue of Saint Francis Xavier stands to testify the history of the place.

China’s microblog has become the new frontier of China’s Christian movement. The Twitter-like service run by Sina.com, also known as “wei bo” – the Chinese word for microblog – now claims more than 120 million users and are expected to reach 200 million at the end of the year. And it is only natural that Christianity is thriving on the fastest-growing and the most powerful (and therefore most feared by the government) media platform ever seen in history.

There are a number of high-profile Christian celebrities who use microblog to publicize their faith. Mr. Pan Shiyi, a real estate billionaire, frequently shares prayers with his six million plus followers on Sundays. A Taiwanese actor posted pictures of his widely-reported wedding on weibo, where he has more than four million followers. Both he and his wife are Christians.

If you think that this means more than ten million people have just heard the Good News, you will probably be disappointed. Comments of these high-spirited posts are mixed. Some people, including a few nationalists, are against any religious statements. Others are somewhat inherently resistant toward the effort of Christian friends to proselytize.

But if you look around, Christianity – at least those types tolerated by the government – is alive and well on China’s microblogs. Below are just a few select postings from the vast information ocean inside China’s Great Firewall.

This post is a special gift to a friend who recently asked me whether Chinese people are allowed to go to church. Here it goes.

1. Neo: It’s a day to be born again. After a year of pondering, half year of study and many a signs from the Lord, my wife and I have been baptized at Xu Hui Church today. We announced that from now on, we are officially and eternally a Christian. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

@熊剑明_Neo： 今天是个重生的日子。经过一年多思考，半年多的慕道，受主的多次启示。今天和太太一起在徐汇大堂领了洗，接受了入门圣事。宣告从此正式的,永久的成为一名 基督徒。In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Amen.

2. Doctor Wang: This is our happy family. I am in purple T-shirt. The strong man at the front is my loving son. Behind me is my wife who have accompanied me for 25 years. The other three girls are my daughters. We are believers of the Lord and a typical Chinese christian family.

Nora: I haven’t been able to attend church gatherings for some time because of my job. Luckily, after I came to Shanghai, a friend recommended an internal Christian gathering hosted by a cosmetics company. The weather is comfortable in Shanghai and I feel great – Thank God! I am grateful to life. Wish all brothers and sisters happiness and safety. Leaving again right now!

XXXX: I met a Christian this afternoon who kindly gave me two books. The books talk about how to make choices and decisions in different circumstances. Maybe even a stranger can recognize my emotions now? Thank you very much!

Someone commented on this picture that the Cross can be used to teach soldiers how to stand with a perfectly straight back, similarly, it can be used to cure all ills of the heart.

One type of popular posts tend to praise Christianity as the spiritual foundation of Western civilizations and democracy. The one below is made by a professor at Beijing University of Technology. “…Mr. Yang, the most venerable Chinese intellect, explored the secret of China’s prosperity in his early research. He found market economy. Later, he discovered that market economy is based upon constitutional government. If political powers are not reined, then private property rights cannot be protected. Finally, he realized Christianity is the foundation of constitutional government. All successful constitutional governments are Christian countries or those who have been taught by those Christian countries…”

Finally, an interesting post from the real experience shared by a real Chinese netizen. “I haven’t been back to my home village for many years. A while back, I returned for a school reunion. The changes in the countryside are not too drastic. But one change shocked me: there are churches and crosses everywhere! I heard that some villages have all their residents turned to Christians. They do not farm the land but are busy with church gatherings. They call each other brothers and sisters, instead of father or son! Even weirder, though they are all Christians, they belong to different sects and often have fights! It certainly doesn’t sound right!